When the call comes in, firefighters don’t get to decide whether it is worth responding.
They roll.
Fire trucks leave the hall. Firefighters climb aboard. Equipment and personnel are committed. Fuel is burned. Valuable time is spent.
And sometimes, when they arrive, there is nothing for them to do.
Starting October 1, 2026, the Ontario government says fire departments across southern Ontario will finally be able to recover some of those costs when responding to No Service Calls on provincial highways.
The announcement was made Tuesday, September 29, by Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, who said the move recognizes the commitment made by firefighters every time an emergency call comes in.
“Ontario’s firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities,” Sarkaria said.
“Our government is proud to support the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs by ensuring municipal fire departments in southern Ontario are reimbursed for no-service calls, helping protect local resources and ensuring firefighters are there when they are needed most.”
For local volunteer and municipal fire departments, the issue is more than paperwork.
Fire departments are facing rapidly increasing costs for everything from fire trucks and rescue equipment to maintaining the facilities and resources needed to put those firefighters on the road.
The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs says the cost of fire apparatus and equipment has more than doubled in many cases in recent years.
Yet when firefighters are dispatched to a provincial highway, the costs begin the moment that apparatus leaves the station — regardless of whether firefighters eventually provide hands-on assistance.
A No Service Call can occur when a fire department is cancelled before arriving at the scene, when the OPP determines that firefighters are no longer required, when firefighters cannot locate the reported vehicle or incident, or when multiple apparatus respond but some ultimately provide no direct service.
Until now, that could leave departments absorbing the cost of the response.
The new MTO framework changes that for eligible southern Ontario calls.
The province will reimburse up to two apparatus per incident, for a maximum of one hour per apparatus, at the applicable rate.
The claims will continue to be submitted through the MTO Partner Portal using the existing highway incident claim process.
For communities across Northumberland County, where volunteer firefighters routinely leave their jobs, homes and families when the pager sounds, the change has particular significance.
A fire department doesn’t know whether a highway call will turn into a serious collision, a vehicle fire, a medical emergency — or a report that turns out to require no fire service at all.
The response still has to happen.
The OAFC welcomed the change, saying the new cost-recovery system will help departments continue answering those calls without being left to carry the entire financial burden.
“The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) is deeply grateful to Minister Sarkaria and the provincial government for extending No Service Calls billing to fire departments who provide service to southern Ontario highways,” said Fire Chief Jeremy Parkin, President of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs.
“This cost recovery mechanism will assist fire services who are responding to emergency calls to keep Ontarians safe.”
Parkin said Ontario’s fire service also values its relationship with the provincial government.
“Ontario’s fire departments and firefighters value our extremely positive relationship with the provincial government, and thank them for this important investment, and the work we will continue for all of Ontario’s fire service.”
The reimbursement system has already been used for eligible No Service Calls involving provincial highways in northern Ontario.
As of October 1, southern Ontario fire departments will be brought into the same framework.
And that matters because every response costs money.
Fire trucks don’t run on goodwill.
Equipment doesn’t maintain itself.
And firefighters — whether career or volunteer — still have to be ready to respond the next time the alarm sounds.
The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs represents the chief fire officers of 437 fire departments across the province — 32 career departments, 43 composite departments and 362 volunteer departments.
Those departments represent approximately 30,716 firefighters, including more than 18,000 volunteers.
For those firefighters, the mission doesn’t change.
When the call comes, they go.
Now, at least for eligible provincial highway No Service Calls in southern Ontario, the government is recognizing that answering that call comes with a cost.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
